Chương 121: The Netherpassage Descent

Besides the Hu family, there were also quite a few Qi Refining Realm cultivators who had been stuck at their current level for years, unable to break through to Foundation Establishment. They too had been seduced by the endless demonic thoughts and driven to madness. In a single moment of weakness, they fell to the demonic path and unleashed a tide of bloodshed! Across Qingtai Prefecture, demonic disasters erupted one after another. All the major cultivation powers were gripped by fear and uncertainty.

According to the intelligence Huaijin had gathered, it wasn't just Qingtai Prefecture, all nine prefectures of Bing Province were facing the exact same crisis. Bing Province had always had only one enemy: spirit beasts. Now, demonic cultivators had joined the fray. And these demonic cultivators were far more troublesome than spirit beasts. At least spirit beasts wouldn't go out of their way to massacre mortals. But demonic cultivators? They reveled in blood sacrifices.

The more vengeful souls and baleful energy they accumulated, the faster their cultivation soared.

"Could Soul Sorrow Ridge have produced a Nascent Soul Cultivator?" Huaijin's mind churned with dark speculation.

"Otherwise, demonic cultivators wouldn't dare to be this brazen." With the spirit beast tide looming and demonic cultivators resurgent, he knew they had to tread carefully. The four Tier 2 cultivators of the Zhang family exchanged brief messages via transmission talismans. The verdict was clear: cultivators stationed at various spiritual veins were not to leave their posts unless absolutely necessary. Meanwhile, the defensive forces in Green Bamboo City were reinforced once again!

In addition to Zhang Liliang, nine late-stage Tier 1 cultivators were now stationed there. Every shipment of cultivation resources would be personally escorted by a Tier 2 cultivator. They could not afford to give the demonic cultivators even a sliver of an opening.

"Demonic cultivator... Lou Guying!" Huaijin's eyes flashed with cold, killing intent. The demonic disasters sweeping through Qingtai Prefecture almost certainly had his hand behind them. In fact, there was a good chance he was one of the masterminds. The man's strength was terrifyingly formidable. And he was a disciple of Soul Sorrow Ridge, an ancient demonic sect that had once produced a Nascent Soul old demon, with a heritage stretching back countless generations.

Not only was Lou Guying himself at the perfection stage, but he also commanded an Ash Blood Hound of the same level. With that kind of backing, he could even hold his own against a Tier 3 cultivator. And if Huaijin's estimates were correct, Lou Guying was no more than a hundred and fifty years old. With such talent, his status within Soul Sorrow Ridge was undoubtedly high. For now, Zhang Huaijin simply wasn't strong enough. Protecting his own family was already the most he could manage.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Qingtai Prefecture was not yet his to command. But Langya County, that, he would not let the demonic cultivators ravage unchecked. Zhang Lixian represented the Zhang family in negotiations with the other families. In the end, they reached a unanimous decision: pool their cultivator resources and launch a purge of all demonic cultivators in Langya County.

They had to suppress the threat before it spiraled out of control. The Langya County demon-extermination campaign was set in motion, and Huaijin once again departed from Purple Cloud Peak. The mysterious pine fish had been busy with its own affairs, endlessly reproducing and propagating its bloodline. It was an instinctive trait of the pine fish species, something it had no control over. But its cultivation was advancing at an astonishing pace. It was now on the verge of breaking through to the eighth level.

By now, the pine fish was firmly under Huaijin's control. Naturally, he hoped its power would only grow stronger. With that creature guarding Purple Cloud Peak, Huaijin felt completely at ease. He mounted Haihu and set off for Wenshui County. … Wenshui County was the easternmost county of Qingtai Prefecture, bordering Guiyun Prefecture. Most of its territory was covered in water. The water-attributed resources there were exceptionally rich.

And the Yin map fragment in Huaijin's possession required precisely the kind of Yin-attributed resources found in this region. Three days later, after traveling at full speed, Huaijin arrived in Wenshui County. —— After resting for an hour, he headed straight for the Netherpassage Cold Pool. The Netherpassage Cold Pool was a legendary body of water in Wenshui County. It was filled with boundless, biting cold, even along its edges, jagged black ice spikes jutted out like beast fangs.

The spirit beasts that dwelt within were notoriously violent and ferocious in combat. The environment of Wenshui County attracted water spirit root cultivators from all over Qingtai Prefecture, all eager to harvest its cultivation resources. Zhang Huaijin found a place to stay. Five days later, he left his lodgings and arrived at the edge of the Netherpassage Cold Pool.

"Today is the Winter Solstice, the day of the year with the densest Yin energy! Let's see if Yen Tianyang's method actually works." Huaijin's face was hidden beneath a black robe. With a quiet thought, he stepped slowly into the Netherpassage Cold Pool. The Winter Solstice was indeed the peak of Yin energy, but it wasn't the only such day in the year. The Yang map fragment in Yen Tianyang's possession had once allowed Zhang Huaijin to comprehend Bing Yang Lightning.

If this same method proved effective, then Huaijin would surely be able to comprehend other techniques as well. The only question was: what kind of technique lay sealed within the Yin map fragment? If it was lightning-attributed, then he would have struck gold. If he could grasp a second type of lightning force and fuse the two together, the resulting power would be absolutely devastating. His combat strength would reach terrifying new heights. And lightning force could continuously temper his physical body.

His body cultivation would advance in leaps and bounds. Within the Netherpassage Cold Pool, Qi Refining Realm cultivators could only travel by spiritual boat. They had to cautiously search for resources while staying alert to spirit beast attacks. Only Foundation Establishment cultivators could soar through the air. The Qi Refining Realm cultivators scattered across several thousand meters of water looked up at Zhang flying overhead with envy in their eyes.

Tier 2 cultivators weren't rare in the Netherpassage Cold Pool, they appeared from time to time. So the onlookers felt only envy, not surprise. Huaijin took a moment to sense his surroundings, then plunged straight into the cold pool.

"Hmm! This temperature lives up to the name 'Cold Pool.'" Even with his body cultivation, he couldn't suppress a shiver the moment he entered. And he was satisfied. The colder it was up here, the denser the Yin energy below. And the greater the effect would be. Tier 2 cultivators were a common sight in the Netherpassage Cold Pool. But very few of them would dive directly into the water like Huaijin was doing. Beneath the surface lived countless spirit beasts. Huaijin released his Foundation Establishment aura.

Qi Refining Realm spirit beasts naturally didn't dare to challenge him, they scattered in panic. As for the Tier 2 spirit beasts he sensed, Huaijin simply concealed his own presence. He continued his descent. Meanwhile, the Yin map fragment had already appeared in his palm. Strand by strand, the surrounding cold air was drawn into the fragment. And slowly, Huaijin began to feel a faint warmth spreading through his hand.

"Haha! It actually works!" A grin spread across his face. He glanced around, quickly swam toward a seabed trench, slipped into concealment, and suppressed his aura completely. All he had to do now was wait for the Yin-character fragment map to accumulate enough energy. With Huaijin's body cultivation, staying at the bottom of the lake for several hours was no trouble at all. That was the true strength of a body cultivator. Their flesh had been tempered to the absolute extreme.

Huaijin's aura was sealed tight, not a trace leaked out. But as time passed, the Yin map fragment in his palm began to form a faint vortex. And that vortex had already caught the attention of some Tier 2 spirit beasts.